Liquid shoe polish dispenser



H. M. BURT LIQUID SHOE POLISH DISPENSER Aug. 2, 1960 Filed Oct. 16, 19 58 INVENTOR. 11!, Ever firralelwsys.

LIQUID SHOE POLISH DISPENSER Hugh M. Burt, 14723 Yukon Ave, Hawthorne, Calif. Filed 16, 1958, Ser. No. 767,694

' 7 Claims. 01. 15-134 This invention relates generally to the art of control-lably dispensing liquid from containers, for example, liquid shoe polish containers. More particularly, the invention concerns a novel and useful liquid dispenser employing a porous applicator from which liquid may be cont-rollably dispensed by squeezing of a deformable bottle containing the liquid and carrying the applicator, the dispenser being made so as to prevent inadvertent spilling of liquid from the bottle through the applicator.

The invention is concerned with the problem inherent in prior liquid. shoe polish dispensers of which I am aware, which has to do with proper control of liquid dispensing through an applicator carried by a; liquid containing bottle, the problem being brought about by improper mounting and retention of the applicatonon the dispenser bottle. The invention isalso concerned with the tendency of prior dispensers inadvertently to leak through the applicator to the exterior. Finally, there exists, particularly in'knownshoe polish dispensers, the problem of drying out of the applicator surface, causing it to become less porousyand morediificult to use properly. Q I All of the foregoingdifliculties are eliminated in'the present improved liquid dispenserwhich comprises a deformable squeeze bottle having a reduced neck, a tubular cavity inner cap mounted on the, bottle and extending around its neck in spaced relation thereto, a

porous applicator retained within theinner cap and neck, the applicator covering the latter and protruding through the cap endwise opposite the neck for dispensing liquid contained within the bottle and finally an enlarged outer cap detachably mounted on the bottle and enclosing the inner cap and the applicator protrusionto prevent inadvertent spilling of liquid from the bottle through the applicator.

As will be brought out, the bottlepreferably has right and left hand sets of coaxial exterior threads axially offset with respect toone another and thebottle neck, so that the inner and outer caps when screwed on these threads will have the preferred relationship with respect to the bottle neck and sponge applicator previously described. Furthermore, the bottle which is preferably made of deformable plastic has axially otfset annular shoulders in pressure sealing engagement with the annular end faces'of the inner and outer caps to establish a pressure sealing relationship preventing liquid leakage when the caps are screwed tightly on the bottle. Thus,

the caps and bottle may all be made of plastic and then there can be no inadvertent leakage of liquid from the assembled caps and bottle no matter how the bottle is oriented in storage. J

Other objects of the invention include the provision of a conditioner sponge retained within the outer cap and in contact with the applicator protrusion, a wetting agent as for example a light oil being held in the conditioner sponge and retaining the applicator sponge end protrusion'in continuously wetted condition to prevent A 2,947,015 tent d ,2, 1.9 0

drying out thereof as by the drying action of liquidshoe polish, Also a retainer ring is preferably confined by the inner cap in the space. between the latter and the bottle neck, the ring having teeth projecting toward the bottle and into the material of the porous. applicator sponge for holding the latter against inadvertent endwise outward withdrawal from within that space. Thus, the applicator spongeis positively prevented from being pulled out or withdrawn in wetted condition,.which would lead of course to inadvertent spillage .of liquid from the bottle during the use of the. applicator. 7

These and other objects of the invention, as well. as the details of an illustrative embodiment, will be more fully understood from the following detaileddescription of the drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is an axially. exploded view of the dispenser elements; W V V Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the assembled dispenser; and

Fig. 3. is a view showing the use of the dispenser in and has flutes 15. also extending downwardlytherealong to facilitate hand gripping, of the I tapered bottle portion and squeezing of the latter to force liquid upwardly through the neck of the latter. Finally, thebottle' has axially offset annular shoulders 16, 17 and 18 extending in horizontal or lateral planes and respectively formed between the neck and first thread set 12, the thread sets 12 and 13, and the thread set 13 and the outwardly bulged bottle portion 19 above the taper 14. 'As will be seen, shoulders 17 and 18 afford the critical pressure sealing function which is preventive of inadvertent leaking of liquid from the bottle under all conditions of use and storage. 1 g I r g The smaller thread set 12 receives a tubular and interiorly threaded inner cap 20 when the dispenser is assembled, that cap then extending coaxially about the neck 11 and .in spaced relation the eto. When screwed down on the thread set 12, cap 20. is brought into tight pressure sealing engagement with the bottle by virtue of the tight pressural engagement of the annular bottle shoulder 17 with the annular end face 21 of the cap. Fig. 2 shows that the bottle wall thickness is such as to afiord mutual pressural adjustment of the plastic material of the cap and bottle to provide the desired tight seal.

Also, interengagement of shoulder 17 and capend face 21 limits screwing ofthe cap on the bottle in the desired relation for the retention of the plastic sponge applicator 22 in the space between the inner .cap 20 and the bottle neck 11. While a plastic sponge applicator is described, it will be understood that other applicators may :be used so long as they are porous to the liquid opening 28 in the cap 20, the latter having interior threads 29 spaced well below the opening 28. Thus the body portion 24 of the sponge applicator is confined between the-neck 11 and the cap-20. For positively retaining-the sponge in position there is provided a plastic or light metal retainer ring 30 having downwardly tapered teeth 31 circularly spaced for projection into the material of the sponge in a downward direction, thereby holding the sponge body'portion against endwise retraction upwardly through the cap opening 28. The retainer ring 30 itself is held against outward retraction by the outer lip or flange 32 of the cap 20 which overlies the ring and blocks or limits its upward displacement relative to the cap.

Threaded downwardly on the outer or larger set of bottle threads 13 isanouter cap or closure 33 shown in Fig. 1 as having hand grip flutes 34 to better facilitate screwing and unscrewing of the cap on the bottle threads 13. The outer cap completely encloses the inner cap 20 and the applicator protrusion 26 and forms a pressure seal at the interengagement between the bottle shoulder 18 and the cap annular end face 35. Such sealing engagement of both caps 20 and 33 with the bottle at shoulders 17 and 18 respectively, is best facilitated by the plastic composition of both caps and the :bottle and in the relatively thin bottle sections at locations 36 and 37. As is seen in Fig. 2, the bottle has counterbores'38 and 39 inwardly opposite t-he thread sets 12 and '13, which counterbores are so related to the thread sets as to promote the sealing action referred to at shoulders 17 and 18, previously described. Fig. 2 also illustrates the provision of a conditioner sponge disc 40 within the outer cap 33, the sponge being retained in contact with the applicator protrusion at the interface 41 when the cap 33 is fully screwed down on the bottle. A wetting agent held by capillary action in the porous conditioner sponge maintains the applicator sponge in continuously wetted condition keeping it suitable for instantaneous use in dispensing liquid 23. If the sponge protrusion 26 were not wetted at all times, not only would it take longer to moisten sufliciently the applicator with the liquid 23 to the point where suitable dispensing action could take place, but also, the drying'out action of certain types of liquid 23, for example shoe polish, would cause a crust to form on the surface of the applicator 26 decreasing the porosity of the applicator at its surface and causing it generally to be undesirable in appearance and diffieult to use, especially after repeated usage. Suitable wetting agents hel dwithin the conditioner sponge 40 comprise lubricants such as light oils, for example neats-foot oil, mineral oil and light vegetable oils.

Cap 20 may also be extended upwardly above flange 32 in order to form a cavity receiving all of the sponge except the tip thereof. In use, the cavity will control flow of liquid to feed only the end area of the sponge being used to dispense the liquid, and also the cavity walls will prevent any excess accumulation of liquid from dripping off the sponge.

As seen in Fig. 2, the annular portion of the applicator sponge is held compressed against the shank of the bottle neck by ring 30. Also, the flange 32 of the cap 20 acts to compress the reduced end portion 26 of the sponge against the terminal end of the bottle neck.

I claim:

1. An improved liquid dispenser, comprising a deformable squeeze bottle having a reduced neck of greater wall thickness than the wall thickness of the deformable bottle, a tubular inner cap mounted on said bottle and extending around said neck and the terminal end thereof in spaced relation thereto, a porous applicator retained in the space between said inner cap and neck, said applicator having an enlarged annular portion extending about and compressed against the neck shank and a reduced end portion completely covering and compressed by the cap against the open terminal end of the neck and protruding through the cap endwise opposite the 'neck for dispensing liquid contained within the bottle, and an enlarged outer cap detachably mounted on the bottle and enclosing the inner cap and the applicator protrusion to prevent inadvertent spilling of liquid from said dispenser.

2. An improved liquid dispenser, comprising a deformable plastic squeeze bottle having a reduced axially extending tubular neck of greater wall thickness than the wall thickness of the deformable bottle, saidbottle having two sets of coaxial exterior threads axially offset with respect to one another and said neck, a tubular inner cap screwed on one set of bottle threads and extending coaxially about said neck and the terminal end thereof in spaced relation thereto, a porous applicator retained in ihe space between said inner cap and neck, said applicator having an enlarged annular portion extending about and compressed against the neck shank and a reduced end portion completely covering and compressed by the cap against the open terminal end of the neck and protruding through the cap endwise opposite the neck for'dispensing liquid contained within the bottle, and an enlarged outer cap removably screwed on the second set of bottle threads and enclosing the inner cap and the applicator protrusion to prevent inadvertent spilling of liquid from said dispenser.

3. An improved liquid dispenser, comprising a decformable plastic squeeze bottle having a reduced axially extending tubular neck of greater wall thickness than the wall thickness of the deformable bottle, said bottle having two sets of coaxial exterior threads axially offset with respect to one another and said neck, said thread sets being left and right hand respectively, a tubular inner cap screwed on one set of bottle threads and extending coaxially about said neck and the terminal end thereof in spaced relation thereto, a porous applicator retained in the space between said, inner cap and neck, jsaid applicator having an enlarged annular portion extending about and compressed against the neck shank and a reduced end portion completely covering and compressed by the cap against the open terminal end of the neck and protruding through the cap endwise opposite the neck for dispensing liquid contained within the bottle, a retainer ring confined by said inner cap in the space between said inner cap vand-bottle neck, said ring havingteeth projecting toward the bottle at the terminal rim of the outer cap to prevent inadvertent spilling of liquid from said dispenser.

4. An improved liquid shoe polish dispenser, comprising a deformable plastic squeeze bottle having a reduced axially extending tubular neck of greater wall thickness than the wall thickness of the deformable bottle, said bottle having first and second sets of coaxial exterior threads axially offset with respect to one another and said neck, said first thread set having a smaller outer diameter than the outer diameter of said second thread set and being closer to said neck than said second thread set, a tubular interiorly threaded inner cap screwed on the first bottle thread set and extending coaxially about said neck and the terminal end thereof in spaced relation thereto, a sponge applicator retained in the space between said inner cap and neck, said applicator having an enlarged annular portion extending about and compressed against the neck shank and a reduced-end portion com pletely covering and compressed by the cap against the open terminal end of the neck and protruding through the cap endwise opposite the bottle neck for dispensing liquid contained within the bottle, and an enlarged interiorly threaded outer cap removably screwed on the seco d threaded set and completely enclosing the inner 5 cap and the applicator protrusion to prevent inadvertent spilling of liquid from said dispenser.

5. The invention as defined in claim 4' in which the bottle tapers throughout a major portion of its length in an axial direction extending away from said second set of threads, whereby upon manual squeezingof the bottle the liquid contents thereof are forced toward the bottle neck and the sponge applicator; a

6. The invention as defined in claim 4including a conditioner sponge retained within the outer cap and in cont-act with the applicator protrusion, and an oily wetting agent held in said conditioner sponge and maintaining said applicator sponge protrusion in continuously wetted condition.

7. The invention as defined inelaim 4 including a 16 plastic retainer ring confined by said'inner cap in the space between said inner cap and bottle neck, said ring having circularly spaced teeth projecting toward the bottle and into the material of the applicator sponge for holding said applicator against inadvertent endwise outward withdrawal from said space.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

